Portable and adjustable basketball goal



March 13, 1962 R. N, BRUMFIELD 3,

PORTABLE AND ADJUSTABLE BASKETBALL GOAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 7,1960 INVENTOR. ROBERT N. BRUMFIELD ATTORNEYS March 13, 1962 R. N.BRUMFIELD PORTABLE AND ADJUSTABLE BASKETBALL GOAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed March 7, 1960 FIG.4.

ug HIM \illllllnm mm F ttes atnt time 3,025,058 PORTABLE AND ADJUSTABLEBASKETBALL GOAL Robert N. Brumfield, RED. 2, Box 73, Tell City, Ind.Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,176 Claims. (Cl. 273-1.5)

This invention is a portable and adjustable basketball goal which may bereadily moved from place to place and positioned for use by one person.

It is an object of this invention to provide a mobile basketball goal ofthe character described, the basket of which is pendently supportedappreciably forward of a supporting base and upright.

Another object is to provide a basketball goal which is verticallyadjustable to raise or lower the height of the basket and therebyaccommodate the physical capacity of the players.

Further objects are to provide a portable basketball goal including aweighted mobile base having an upright connected near the aft endthereof, the mobile means being automatically raised to a point abovethe floor when the weighted base is permitted to gravitate intoengagement with the floor; and to provide a portable basketball goalwhich is stable and requires no extraneous securing means to insurestationary engagement with the floor, the goal being readily wheeledfrom one place to another without dismantling or adjusting any portionthereof.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the followingdescription of the present preferred form of the invention, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basketball .court equipped withportable basketball goals constructed in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the portable and adjustablebasketball goal of the present invention, showing it in operatingposition;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the same showing the goal in mobileposition;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the present invention, aportion thereof being broken away to disclose details of construction;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2, looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4, lookingin the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device of the presentinvention.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, the portable andadjustable basketball goal of the present invention includes a weightedbase 10 preferably rounded at its upper edge, which base is of steel orother suitable heavy metal construction. Upstanding spaced plates 11 arewelded or otherwise fixedly secured to the aft end of base 1% and extendbeyond the peripheral limit thereof. Plates 11 serve as bearings for anaxle 12 having wheels 13 rotatably mounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 4,the lower limit of wheels 13 lies in a horizontal plane above, and in avertical plane beyond, base '10. Wheels 13 are thereby raised out ofengagement with the floor when the goal is placed in operative position.

A vertical upright, generally designated 14, is fixed at its lowerterminal to the aft end of base 10 intermediate plates 11 and is bracedby members 15 at the front of the upright. Vertical upright 14 comprisesa lower stationary section 16 and an upper movable section 17telescopically engaged with the lower section. Referring again to FIG.4, it will be seen that telescopic section 17 is provided with a seriwof vertically aligned openings 18 adapted to be selectively engaged by aretaining bolt 19, the latter also being engageable with a complement-a1opening 18' in the stationary section 16.

A pair of spaced parallel horizontal supports 20 are fixed to the upperterminal of movable section 17, which supports extend forwardlyappreciably in advance of upright 14 and base 10 where the terminalsthereof are fixed to a backboard support 21. Horizontal support webbraces are indicated at 22. A backboard 23 is fixed by suitable means 24to the upper and lower extremities of backboard support 21. Conventionalbasket or hoop 25 having a right angular support member 26 is fixed tobackboard 23 by means 27 which extend through both backboard 23 andbackboard support 21. Basket braces are indicated at 2.8. It will benoted that backboard 23 is substantially fan-shaped in order to reducethe bulk and weight of the backboard and thereby lend greater stabilityto the pendently supported basket.

In actual use, the portable and adjustable basketball goal of thepresent invention is moved to mobile position by tilting upright 14angularly, as shown in FIG. 3. By virtue of the arrangement of base 10,upright 14 and wheels 13, this effects an upward movement of base 10 outof engagement with the floor and a corresponding downward movement ofwheels 13 into engagement with the floor. After the goal has beenwheeled to the playing site, weighted base 10 is permitted to gravitateinto engagement with the floor to return upright 14 to a verticalposition and wheels 13 to the raised position shown in FIG. 4.Telescopic section 17 may be adjusted, if desired, to raise or lowerbasket 25 to the desired height. For this purpose, openings 18 arepreferably arranged so that the height of the basket may be adjusted at6-inch intervals from 7 feet to 10 feet.

In FIG. 1, there is illustrated one of the numerous ways in which theportable and adjustable basketball goal of the present invention may beemployed. In the instance illustrated, the goals are placed on aconventional basketball court which includes foul circles 29, a centerjump circle 30, and a center line 31. At each end of the court is aregulation height permanent basketball goal, one of which is shown at32. The portable goals of the present invention are shown set up for useby young players whose physical capacity requires curtailment of thecourt length and height of the baskets. Therefore, in the depicted useof the present invention, the goals are set within foul circles 29 andthe height of the basket is lowered from the regulation 10 feet to aheight best adapted to suit the ability of the players. Due to the easewith which the portable basketball goal of the present invention may bemoved, .it is of course no problem to move the goals closer together orfarther apart at will.

Under actual playing conditions, it has been found that by locating theweighted base forwardly of the upright, the goal is well balanced,thereby affording a stable unit which obviates any need for extraneousmeans to secure the base to the floor. It is also readily apparent thatby pendently supporting the backboard and basket appreciably forward ofthe supporting upright, any likelihood of players running into thelatter is virtually eliminated. The arrangement of the mobile means ofthe present device further facilitates removal of the goal from one siteto another without dismantling or adjusting any parts thereof.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is nevertheless to be understood that various changes maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A portable basketball goal including a base adapted to normallyengage a playing surface, a vertical upright extending from the aftportion of the base, wheels secured to the base at a point aft thereof,the lower limit of said wheels lying in a plane above the lower limit ofsaid base when the base is in operative position in engagement with thesupporting surface, said wheels being lowered into engagement with thesupporting surface and the base simultaneously raised off the supportingsurface upon tilting the vertical upright rearwardly, support meanssecured to said vertical upright and extending to a point forward of thefront edge of the base and upright, and a backboard and basket assemblyfixed to the fore portion of said support means.

2. A portable basketball goal as set out in claim 1 wherein the base isweighted.

3. A portable basketball goal as set out in claim 1 wherein the verticalupright comprises telescopic sections in predetermined interengagedrelation, to regulate the height of the basket.

4. A portable basketball goal including a weighted base, a singlevertical upright extending from the aft edge of said base, upstandingspaced plates secured to the aft end of the base on each side of saidvertical upright and extending beyond the peripheral limit of the base,an axle mounted between said spaced plates, wheels rotatably mounted onsaid axle, the lower limit of said wheels lying in a horizontal planeabove, and in a vertical plane beyond, said base, when the base is inoperative position in engagement with a supporting surface, basketsupport means fixed to the upper terminal of said vertical upright, thesupport means including spaced horizontal supports extending to a pointfore of the leading edge of the base, the basket support means furtherincluding a backboard support secured to the free terminals of saidhorizontal supports, a backboard fixed to said backboard support, and abasket secured to the front face of said backboard, said wheels beinglowered into engagement with the supporting surface and the basesimultaneously raised off the supporting surface, upon tilting saidupright rearwardly.

5. The portable basketball goal of claim 4 wherein the vertical uprightcomprises telescopic sections, and means for adjusting said telescopicsections in predetermined interengaged relation, to regulate the heightof the basket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,081,198 Bates Dec. 9, 1913 1,924,811 Schulz Aug. 29, 1933 1,933,382Monroe Oct. 31, 1933 2,363,634 Albach et a1. Nov. 28, 1944 2,416,752Hendrick Mar. 4, 1947 2,707,104 Killick Apr. 26, 1955 2,932,511 BemisApr. 12, 1960 2,939,705 McCall June 7, 1960 2,945,660 Slavsky et al.July 19, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 520,656 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1940

